Chronicles of D'raekmus: Sailor Moon Chapters
by D'raekmus
Summary: With the arrival of a new enemy, the Sailor Scouts are inevitably drawn into the dead cavern of D'ni. What does this civilization have to do with the Silver Millennium? Read on to find out. R & R is always appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Please do not judge this too harshly. I have only watched the English dubs of this show, so I will follow them, and use the names used there, instead of the original Japanese names. It's my personal preference.

The time frame is shortly after the Doom Tree incident, but before Rini appears.

Dark Mecha and Rob Beltone are both OCs of mine, and are part of my series, Chronicles of D'raekmus. These chapters will mainly focus on Rob Beltone, Protector, and the mysterious D'ni, and how they affect the Moon Kingdom.

I do not own Sailor Moon, nor Myst, except for the Original Characters, such as Dark Mecha, Rob Beltone, D'raekmus, Protector, and Ae'gerus, though the species Ae'gerus is, the Bahro, is copyright Cyan worlds, as well as the D'ni and other Myst-related elements.

From time to time, you will see references or beings from other series, such as the Entangler, a weapon of the Luminoth of the Metroid series. While these may appear, there is going to be no crossover larger than that. They're there because Dark Mecha travels all existence, adding to its own power as it destroys civilizations.

Updated: 04/16/2010.

* * *

A dark shadow streaked across the night sky, followed by a small ship. The shadow fired a stream of dark energy at the pursuing ship, only to have the bursts countered by several laser bursts, until the lasers blasted the shade.

The shade released a powerful wave of darkness, breaking the ship, as both tumbled into the atmosphere of the planet.

The shadow crashed, emanating a wave of shadows, killing the nearby flora.

The second impact created a powerful shockwave, shifting an entire pond.

A lone figure looked out the damaged viewscreen, cursing. _Some day, I will get you, accursed monster of darkness! _The figure thought, before losing consciousness.

* * *

Serena's gazed out the window of her bedroom. Her hair was tied up into the twin ponytails that was her signature, and she wore a set of simple pajamas. She was thinking of her love, Tuxedo Mask, for the umpteenth time, getting on Luna's nerves.

"If you spent as much time studying as you did thinking of him, you'd rival Ami in school!" The black feline complained.

Serena responded by whacking the poor creature with her pillow, but quickly stopped when a strange phenomenon caught her eye.

She looked in awe as she watched the beautiful sight: two meteors, streaking across the sky, one white, the other dark, seemingly dancing with one another. Serena started humming happily to herself, imaging the two were herself and Tuxedo Mask, dancing at a fancy ball, when she was suddenly jolted back to reality by a loud explosion, followed closely by another loud blast.

Luna looked up, and exclaimed "Dear me, it seems like those meteor strikes sounded awfully close... Perhaps the Scouts should look into this?"

Serena turned and just gave Luna a look, so pathetic that many would wonder how this girl was a heroine in the first place. "Really? At this hour?" she complained, "I have a test to study for tomorrow."

Luna gave the same look back at Serena, replying "You, studying? THAT alone would be my wish."

Serena suddenly became wide-eyed. "That's right!" she exclaimed as she turned back to the window, "Shooting stars are supposed to grant wishes!" She quickly bent down, and made an inaudible wish, before getting back up. She quickly took out her locket. "Ok, Luna. Let's get the Scouts ready. We need to see what exactly happened," she said, her tone taking on the air of a leader.

"Moon Crystal Power!" The moon princess said, as she was wrapped in feathers, emerging as Sailor Moon.

Luna was shocked at this. _Serena actually taking her job seriously? Did my wish come true for once?_ She didn't have much time to ponder this, as she quickly followed Sailor Moon out the window.

* * *

The shadowy crater began to shift, sending out another pulse of darkness, trying to awaken from it's dark slumber. It reached out with its mind's eye, seeing that it had landed in a clearing, a forest bordering one side, the other barred by a pond. No dark energy emanated, save for itself. It retracted back into its own mind, internally roaring,

_Soon, accursed pursuer, I shall reawaken, and I shall consume the darkness here. I will fulfill my duty!_

* * *

Sailor Moon caught up with the other Scouts, at the location of the first impact. The black meteor bubbled a strange, sadistic aura.

"I'm receiving some bizarre readings on this" Sailor Mercury said, her teal-colored hair reflecting the moonlight. "This is a truly singular object: It seems to be emanating a powerful evil, yet it's draining the malice from anything nearby."

Sailor Venus looked oddly at Mercury. "So let me get this straight," she eventually commented, "It's an evil blob, releasing malicious intent, but it's also absorbing the evil surrounding it."

Mercury nodded, "Yes, you could say that, Venus. It's currently in an inert state, so it should be safe to approach."

As the Scouts began to near the strange blob of darkness, it began to quiver. Suddenly, Mercury jumped back.

"Guys! Get Back! The energy readings are off the scale! It's going to explode!" she shouted, as she and the other girls hid behind the safety of one of the nearby trees, just in time, too.

Without warning, the dark matter erupted, coating the surrounding area in a strange, purple liquid, which absorbed all light. The material then coalesced back in the center of the crater, forming a strange, hideous figure.

The figure in the moonlight was strange. It seemed to be some kind of mechanical being, yet, instead of metal, it was built out of what appeared to be pure dark energy. That would explain why it seemed to flicker and phase, almost like a ghost.

"Perhaps it's a harmless probe sent to observe us..." Sailor Moon hopefully began, before being cut off by a loud explosion as the figure incinerated the area in dark flames.

Scared because of the sheer power this creature displayed, the leader of the Sailor Scouts continued to watch in mixed fear and horror as the monster drained the area of any remaining power, leaving the area a charred lifeless mass. It turned and began to advance towards the lake.

"Stop right there, Strange Monster of the Negaverse!" Sailor Venus shouted, her blonde hair in a single ponytail shining brightly in the moonlight. She formed a v-line with the other Scouts, save for their leader, who was still scared of this being.

The monster turned, revealing a strange gem embedded in its chest. "Negaverse?" it simply inquired. "What is Negaverse?" it repeated in a strange, sinister voice.

Now, all the girls were set slightly off-guard. "If you're not from the Negaverse, then who are you?" Sailor Jupiter asked, her green sailor uniform glowing, even in the poor light. Sailor Moon finally got up the courage to slink up with the rest of the Scouts.

"Me? Who am I?" the machine repeated, surprised that these girls didn't know who it was. "I am... Dark Mecha! My purpose is to drain all evil into myself! I shall bring order to all existence!" It thundered, as a dark burst of lightning exploded behind it.

The machine now gave them its full attention. "You organics have distracted me long enough! Begone with you!" Dark Mecha roared, as it launched a volley of dark shards.

All the scouts had to scramble like crazy to avoid getting hit, as Sailor Mars readied an attack.

"Mars fire.... Ignite!" she shouted as a fireball careened towards the machine.

Dark Mecha was hit with the attack, but still stood there, glaring at the Scout, not one scratch in its body.

As Mars was recovering from the shock of her attack being so ineffective, Sailors Venus and Jupiter jumped in.

"Venus Crescent Beam..."

"Jupiter Thunder..."

"Smash!"

"Crash!"

As the dust cleared from the two powerful attacks, the corrupt machine let out a dark, heartless laugh, completely unharmed. "You cannot defeat me! I am Dark Mecha!" it roared, before holding out it's hand. "But, you have preoccupied me long enough! Entangler!" it shouted as a series of dark globs erupted from its hand.

As soon as the strange liquid touched each girl, it instantly hardened, preventing each one from moving. The machine walked over to the helpless scouts.

"It would be such a pity to just destroy you organics, since you have such nice powers, so I shall drain your powers, and leave you for the vultures!" it laughed darkly as it began to stretch its hands out towards them.

Suddenly, a rose shot through, landing in front of Dark Mecha. As it turned, it saw the masked being. "All girls, no matter who or what they are, should be treated like ladies, not simple carrion!" Tuxedo Mask stated, only to narrowly avoid being engulfed in darkness.

"Begone, Pretty Boy! Go attend a Ballroom dance or some other such fancy shindig!" Dark Mecha growled, as it launched a series of Entanglers, each time, Tuxedo Mask avoiding each one.

Dark Mecha grumbled, as it locked onto his patterns, calculated the similarities in each movement, and launched an Entangler at where he would be, not where he was, ensnaring Tuxedo Mask in a mass of dark matter, surprising both him and the Scouts.

Sailor Moon could only exclaim Tuxedo Mask's name, before the Mecha turned to her.

"You! You shall be my first meal on this world!" it growled sadistically, as it raised Serena effortlessly.

Serena was about to lose hope, and cry, when suddenly, a strange shot rang out, glancing the Mecha's right shoulder. The enraged machine turned violently, throwing Serena into a nearby tree, breaking the hardened dark matter on her.

"It can't be!" the machine roared at the armored figure standing in the moonlight, holding a rifle in one hand.

As the dawn appeared on the border of the sky, both the evil robot and the Scouts managed to get a good look at this newcomer.

It wore what appeared to be a black jumpsuit, with strange, emerald plates attached to its arms and chest. The same green material also made up the knee-high boots that the strange person wore. Its face was obscured by a strange helmet, created out of the same odd metal that composed the plates. There was no mouth. Where there would have been eyes, there were instead two strange circles, made up of an incredibly bright green glass.

"Yes, Dark Mecha... It is I, the Protector! You have no business with these beings! Your fight is with me!" the armored figure said flatly, putting the rifle away and pulling out a dark, beaten-up sword.

The sword's blade was made out of a strange black material, too rough to appear to be any kind of metal. Etched into the heart was a stream of strange words, not of any known written language. But that wasn't the most fascinating part of the blade.

The hilt was odd, surrounding it was a strange circular disc, protecting the hands, though it seemed to make the sword a little unwieldy for just anyone to use. It seemed to be made of the same strange material that made up the rest of the sword. The only real change was the leather grip seemingly placed after the sword was made.

"Let's settle this the old-fashioned way!" he said.

The machine snickered. "You know full well, Protector, that, in life, I was the best swordsman, and I will beat you!" it growled as it pulled out a shiny, black saber, crusted with fresh blood.

The two figures began to fight, but not before the Protector ordered the moon princess, "Free your friends, and get them out of here! This is none of your concern!"

Sailor Moon nodded, as she began to break the solidified darkness, freeing everyone. As she freed them, she began to think. _This Protector, it just saved our lives. It has told us to leave, how this was none of our concern, but I can't help but feel... compelled to help it. Is it... on our side?_ She wondered as she finally freed Tuxedo Mask, embracing him.

"We should help Protector!" Tuxedo Mask eventually said, looking at the struggling figures.

"I agree. He just saved our lives! Besides, this Dark Mecha is just asking for trouble!" Sailor Jupiter added, looking ready to deal more damage to this being.

"Yes. Dark Mecha may not be from the Negaverse, but its evil intent is clear." Sailor Mercury interjected.

"But... Protector told us this was none of our concern, that we should flee..." Serena objected, looking slightly worried as the machine began to overpower Protector. _If that thing wins..._ she thought.

"That doesn't matter right now. What matters is repelling that Dark Mecha creature!" Sailor Venus said, and began to ready an attack.

"Venus love chain..."

Sailor Mars smirked, as she readied her attack as well. "Mars fire..."

"encircle!"

"Ignite!"

The chain, now superheated with the flames, struck the machine, breaking its shadowy shield. As the corrupt machine of darkness turned to glare at the Scouts, a sword pierced its center, causing it to roar in agony.

"You may have defeated me for now, but I shall return, for all of you!" Dark Mecha darkly swore as it exploded in a series of shadowy particles that quickly vanished into nothing..

Protector, upon seeing what the Sailor Scouts had done, glared at them from behind its visor.

"Do you not understand what you have done?" it roared, "You have involved yourself in our affairs! You will now be targeted relentlessly by Dark Mecha! You should have fled!" it continued to rebuke, "Now that means that I will have to watch after you brats as well! As if I didn't have enough problems as it is, what with fixing my ship AND making sure Dark Mecha doesn't absorb anymore evil!"

"Who are you calling brats?" Serena shouted, "I am Sailor Moon, champion of Justice! In the name of the Moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil!"

Suddenly, the whole demeanor of Protector changed. "Oh, excuuuuuuuuse me, Sailor Moon," it sarcastically replied. "I didn't realize you were in charge of keeping the peace around here! It seems you were about to be beaten by that little machine there!"

"Hey, it wasn't that little!" she objected.

"Whatever. But, since you are now involved in this affair, I will warn you: that was only Dark Mecha damaged from the entrance into your planet. Its power is weakened, but it will return..."

"Eh... did you say 'weakened'?" Serena nervously asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well... we don't think that you can take this being on alone, if, after all, it was so weakened."

"... you doubt my powers" Protector replied. It wasn't a question.

"No, no, of course not. What I mean is..." Serena began, only to be interrupted by Sailor Mars.

"What she means is that, even the strongest need help from others from time to time. Besides, you said that we were involved in this affair now, anyway. Let us help you!" Mars said, with a slight tone of understanding.

Protector looked at the Scouts, then shook its helm. "I cannot allow you to help me. The destruction of Dark Mecha is my task, and my task alone."

It then drew out its sword, planting it on the ground in front of them, allowing the girls a closer look at this strange person in the process.

They were surprised to find out that, what they had assumed was metal at a distance, was, in fact, a strange stone-like material with a metallic sheen to it. The black, flexible portions of the armor appeared to also be made from a similar rock, instead of cotton or silk, like they had previously assumed. But, what kind of rock was that pliable?

Sailor Mars subconsciously touched the strange material, drawn to its odd properties. It indeed felt like stone, but not any known rock. Rougher than diamonds, yet as smooth as obsidian. However, that wasn't what shocked her.

When she touched the suit, Mars suddenly felt something odd about Protector. It wasn't evil, yet there was something about it that raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She couldn't place her hand upon why, though.

"However, I will offer you my assistance. I swear on my sword, Cursed Blade Riven, that I shall help you in any way I can, at any time plausible, in any place accessible. I swear it upon my heritage, as well. I will assist you in defending yourselves from Dark Mecha." Protector swore as it knelt in front of the sword, taking the strange circular hilt into its hands, facing the Sailor Scouts with its head bowed. It seemed to ignore Sailor Mars' fondling.

"It was my mistake to allow Dark Mecha to fall here, my mistake to allow it to exist to harm you, my mistake that you were still around to make it target you." it finished, as it picked up the sword.

"Uh... thanks... Protector, wasn't it?" Sailor Moon said, looking a little awkward about having such a powerful being rebuking her one moment, then swearing allegiance to her the next.

"That is correct... Sailor Moon." Protector replied.

"So, uh... I'm starving, do you think you could help us find a nearby fast food joint, by chance?" Sailor Moon happily inquired, wearing a childish smile on her face.

Protector let out a small growl, "Not exactly being threatened by Dark Mecha, but as you wish." It bowed as the area vanished, leaving the girls right in front of a burger joint nearby their homes.

The girls looked down to see that they were changed back into their regular clothing, and looked slightly shocked, as a voice echoed on the breeze, "I have restored you to your civilian clothing for you. But do not worry, for I cannot see who you are. You are safe in these forms from Dark Mecha... for now. But, do not fully rely on these, for it may eventually figure out your disguises. Until we meet again, farewell..." the voice concluded as it faded away.

Serena looked around for the retreating voice, but eventually decided it would be best to eat now, and do searching later.

* * *

Protector stood upon a nearby building, watching the girls silently advance into the restaurant. Its sight lingered on the one in red... _Sailor Mars..._

It looked up. Why did that name come to mind? Why did that girl's touch kindle something within him, something he had only felt once before... long ago.

Finally, it shrugged. The sun was already partially-risen, and it needed to return to its ship. _But first... I need to contact a few old friends..._ it thought as it performed a perfect backflip off the edge of the building, unhindered by its armor.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Updated 04/16/2010

* * *

The next day, Serena woke up, just in time to see that her alarm clock hadn't gone off again, and immediately screamed, and took off, running like crazy to get dressed, grab her books, and snatch a piece of breakfast before taking off to school, cursing Luna for not waking her up on time.

Serena's blonde ponytails streamed behind her, creating a kind of banner. She was rushing full-steam now, trying to remember the formulas she had crammed into her head that morning.

She was so preoccupied, that she didn't notice the tall figure in front of her, until she crashed into it.

"Hey! Watch it, blondie!" the man growled, sounding more than annoyed.

"I... I'm sorry, I'm just in a hurry..." Serena hurriedly apologized as she tried to take off.

"Wait a moment... Who are you, little one?" the man inquired, with a touch of kindness in his voice now, causing Serena to turn around and look at him.

He was tall, like Darien, but not quite the same height. He was of the same age, too. His hair was brown, and brushed back, showing a pair of sunglasses that concealed a pair of brown eyes, eyes that seemed to pierce to the very soul. He wore a maroon shirt and black jacket and pants. He had his right hand in his pocket. In his left, he held a small paper map.

"I... I'm Serena... I'm sorry if I'm brief but I need to get to school! I'm late!" she replied, regaining her sense of urgency.

"Oh, I'm sorry for taking your time. My name is Rob. Rob Beltone. I'm afraid I've recently moved to the area, and need a tour of the area. Do you know anyone good? I mean, ones that aren't running late for school." Rob commented, before turning to continue in his direction.

"Look for a girl called Raye at the Temple! She'll be more than glad to oblige!" Serena shouted as she ran for school, Luna trailing behind her.

Rob watched Serena vanish out of sight. "Strange girl..." he commented before turning back to the map. _Now... where is the temple from here... why do they make these maps so inaccurate? I need a Topography map, not this cheesy tourist map that's probably five years out of date!_

_* * *_

Rob finally found the temple, and began to browse it, genuinely curious. _These places are supposed to be sacred to these people..._ He felt the stone forming the outer wall, noting the texture. He turned towards the small building that made up the inner section, seeing the rather simple wooden structure. _ I can already feel a holy presence here. This is a blessed place... _He relaxed slightly, feeling at peace with the place. _It's so serene... Nothing seems to go wrong here, It seems like it's perfect..._

"Hello there! Have you come to work at the temple?" an elderly voice excitedly squeaked from behind, causing Rob to jump into the air, crashing onto the ground a few feet away.

_Well, almost perfect..._ he thought as he recovered his footing and turned to address the old man, who was shorter than expected. He was bald, and wore the standard garb of a Shinto priest. Apparently, he was the guardian of this sacred area. "Erm, no, I'm afraid not... I came here because someone suggested to look for a person called Raye, for a tour of this area..." he said, as the old man nodded knowingly.

"Yes, that's a pity. Raye has to get friends to pick dates for her... Anyway, Raye is just around the corner. You caught her at a good time, too. She just finished her chores for today!" the old man said, before adding, "Are you sure you weren't sent here to work at the temple?"

Rob sighed. "YES! I'm sure I wasn't sent here. I just was referred here by one of Raye's friends. That's it!" he replied, with a slight edge to his tone.

* * *

Raye continued to sweep around the courtyard, dressed in her standard Shinto garb, her white tunic contrasting with her red skirt. A solemn figure walked up behind her, its footsteps echoing off of the stone pathways. "Excuse me, miss... but you wouldn't happen to be Raye, would you?" the silky dark voice inquired.

She sighed, as she stopped her sweeping. If there was one thing she hated worse than the meatball-brained lazy blonde princess, it was being interrupted with her work. "Yeah, that's me! Now, what do you want, can't you see I'm busy here, you..." she growled as she turned around to see Rob standing there. Instantly, her voice changed to one of unrefined admiration. "You hunky, strong man, you," she panted, attraction dripping sickeningly sweetly in every word.

Rob shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to this kind of attention. "Erm... I'm sorry. I'm just here because someone called Serena sent me. She's a friend of yours, correct?" he asked, his voice neutral. There was something about this girl...

Her smile faded. "If she wants help on her homework again, you can tell her that she'll have to do it herself. I'm tired of covering for her while she just sleeps the time away," Raye grumbled, venting her annoyance on the stone pathway with increasing ferocity.

"Erm... no, that's not why I'm here. You see, my name is Rob Beltone. I'm new to the area, and don't know my way around all that well, yet. She suggested coming to you for a tour..." Rob replied, his voice one of slight vexation.

"What? Serena... actually sending an attractive boy my way?" Raye asked aloud. _I guess I really do owe Serena after all..._ she thought.

Rob was now growing more unnerved as he raised an eyebrow. _This girl is crazy! Me, attractive? Right, and people lived on the moon!_ He thought, as he began to slightly move away from Raye now.

"I, uh, see you're busy, so I'll go see if someone else has enough free time to guide me..." he nervously said, inching towards the entrance.

Raye smiled at him, and said, "It's ok, seriously. What's going to happen in an hour of two anyway?" she asked, starting to blush. "Just give me a moment to change. Don't go anywhere!" she said, vanishing within the structure.

_Now's my chance!_ He thought as he tried to move. Instead, he found himself rooted to the spot. _What? Why can't I move? What did that girl do to me?_ He frustratingly wondered as he tried to move from the spot. No good, he was stuck.

After several minutes, Raye emerged, wearing a simple red t-shirt, only two shades lighter than Rob's own shirt, and a pair of jeans. Looking at Rob, she giggled, and said, "When I said don't go anywhere, I didn't mean to literally stay there!"

Rob smiled, now that he found that he could move again. "I figured you probably used one of those Shinto charms to root me to the spot or something," he joked.

Raye nervously chuckled, scratching the back of her head, "Right. Like I would really do that." _How did he know that?_ She wondered.

Realizing that he was now stuck on a tour with this escapee from the insane asylum, Rob realized he had no choice. She was making a big effort on his part. It would be rude not to accept.

"Alright... but I don't know my way around the area, just to warn you. I might get lost." he winked. _If I did get lost, It would be a relief_ he thought as he saw Raye grab his arm, and start leading him out of the temple.

"The first place I'll show you is where my friends and I usually hang out, over at the mall..."

* * *

"Hey, Serena!" Molly shouted in her instantly recognizable accent at the sleeping form of her best friend. "You awake? Melvin's got some juicy gossip! Trust me! You want to hear this!" She thundered.

"Ugh... Please... not right now, Molly," Serena groaned as she started to drift back to sleep.

"Trust me, Serena. You'll want to hear this!" the male with the glasses and navy blue uniform replied, shaking the tired girl.

"One, no gossip is worth interrupting a nap over, and two, if you ever put your grimy little..."

"It's about a young millionaire, Serena!" Molly finally said, catching Serena's full attention.

"Why didn't you say so, sooner! Who is it?" she exclaimed, now vastly excited at the prospect of a guy with money just laying around.

"Well, Serena, there is little information at the present, but apparently, it's an American man named Rob Beltone... Odd name, isn't it?" Melvin commented.

Serena's face paled. "Er... say, I bumped into a Rob Beltone on the way here. Could they be the same person?" she asked, her voice showing hints of uneasiness.

Molly practically jumped Serena. "You did? What was he like? Was he tall? Handsome? Rugged?" she pelted the poor girl with all kinds of questions.

"Well, he didn't seem all that special, a bit grouchy if you ask me." Serena said, brushing off the whole manner casually.

"Well, Serena, maybe you should offer this guy a tour of the city? Who knows, maybe he'll be nice to you and buy you all that food you've dreamed about," Molly joked, dreaming about the man.

Serena began to look a little odd. "Eh... well, I'd love to, except that... I sent him to the temple, to have my friend Raye there take him on a tour...

"You mean you let a rich guy that asked you for a tour just walk to one of your friends?" Molly and Melvin shouted, clearly ticked that Serena would do such a thing.

"Come on, I was running late. Besides, he didn't look that rich to me!" she mumbled, as she laid her head down back to sleep.

* * *

"And this is the computer school where my friend, Ami, does extra class time. She's really smart, too," Raye prattled on, showing the large building, lined with electronics and technology.

Rob gave a slightly strained smile. This girl was either pointing things out, or hanging on his arm for the past two hours. There weren't that many places she was pointing out, seeming more interested in hanging on him. His arm was starting to go numb from the hold this girl had. But, it didn't seem to bother him. Why did this girl have that effect on him?

He gently rubbed his arm. "I think I might have some classes there. I'm still continuing my education, particularly in the electronics field." he said.

Raye clung onto his arm even more now. _There goes my rotator cuff_ Rob thought, as Raye asked, with unconcealed admiration, "You're a techie, huh? Are you smart?"

Rob sighed slightly. _Might as well tell her the truth..._

"Yes, I am. I even have my own corporation, Beltone Enterprises."

Raye shifted her grip, and hugged him tightly. _There go my ribs... _he thought as he heard something crack inside of him. "Oh! An entrepreneur, huh? You must be rich!" she said, growing more attached to him.

Rob let out another sigh. "You guessed right. I'm a millionaire..." _Big mistake to mention that!_

Raye let out an excited squeal. "I knew it! You're one of those wonderfully perfect guys!" Suddenly, she took on a more serious tone. "But, let me guess, You're married?"

Rob let out a chuckle. "Right... at 18, I'd be married..." _Big mistake #2!_

Raye let out a louder squeal of excitement. "Oh! I didn't realize you were that young!" but she soon took on the same somber tone. "Let me guess... you're in a relationship, as it is..."

Rob burst out laughing. "Me? In a relationship? Get real!" _Mistake #3!_

Raye could hardly contain her excitement as she looked Rob all around. "I don't see why not. I mean, you're a pretty hunky guy, all things considered..."

_Well, might as well make up some fiction..._ he thought as he explained, "The truth is, I don't like being with women all that much. They're all, in my opinion, moneygrubbing shallow, self-centered, self-obsessed brats that could care less about a man's character." _That should drive her away..._

Raye suddenly became quiet, as her grip loosened, and gradually removed her arms from his. "Perhaps... perhaps there might be a person who might change that opinion?" she asked, looking to be on the verge of tears.

_Nice going... Now she's going to cry... Might as well compromise... _Something inside him felt genuinely sorry for mentioning that. Why was he suddenly apologetic for such a simple mention?

"Possibly... In fact, I welcome anyone willing to try their hand." he replied.

Raye's tears vanished in an instant. "Could you let me try?" she asked, looking up at Rob with sad, puppy-dog eyes.

_Those eyes..._ he thought, _They're so sad... Perhaps I have misjudged her..._ Why did he want her to be happy? Did it have to do with some hidden desire for her, or what?

After what seemed like an eternity, Rob finally said, "Sure, I don't see why not..."

Raye looked like she would explode with happiness. Finally, a decent guy, free to herself.

"Th-thank you... Rob." She finally said, starting to break down in tears as she embraced him once again.

This completely threw Rob off guard. "Wh... why are you crying?" he asked gently. This girl was insane and moody, but it could be worse, couldn't it? He winced as he felt more bones cracking. _Ok, it just got worse..._

* * *

"So, have you heard the rumors about this rich Beltone guy?" Lita asked, walking with Serena and Ami, after school as they walked towards Raye's temple. They walked down a small shopping district, not yet loaded with people. That would change this evening, when everyone got off work, and onto dates and last-minute shopping.

Lita had her relatively short brunette hair tied up in a simple ponytail in the back, as she towered over the two other girls. Unlike the other two, she wore a green uniform, causing her to stand out a little more in the crowds.

Ami was wearing the typical sailor school uniform, the same blue as Serena's. Her teal hair extended only down to her chin, neatly organized and parted down the center. She carried a small school bag in her right hand.

"Yeah, yeah. And I ran into him on the way to school this morning," Serena replied, sounding less than cheery. "He wanted a tour of the area, but I just brushed him off, and sent him to Raye."

Ami let out a snicker, before saying, "You couldn't have known who he was then, Serena. Don't go acting all depressed, besides, I've heard he's a very gentle man."

"Yeah, but I still want to know how he got so rich at his age," Lita commented, looking at the pavement as they walked.

"I hear that his company, Beltone Enterprises is supposed to be a very prestigious electronics manufacturing company. But it's strange, I've been unable to find any information regarding it. Could it be creating military components?" Ami wondered, checking on her personal computer again. "There's no record of a Beltone Enterprises anywhere in the news, be it recent or from up to a year ago. It's odd..." she added.

"Oh, come on, Ami! So long as he's rich and handsome, who cares about the company?" Serena interjected, "In fact, I'm going to see if he can take us to that restaurant we've always wanted to go try!"

Luna sighed, "There goes Serena again, thinking with her stomach."

Lita then noticed a familiar figure sitting at one of the nearby restaurants. "Hey, Serena, isn't that Raye? Who is the guy she's with? He looks like my old boyfriend," she commented, looking a little flustered.

Serena suddenly started glowing bright red. "Raye! You little..." she began, marching right over to the two.

"What? You sent him to me, remember? He's fair game!" Raye cut her off, finishing the simple vanilla/chocolate milkshake she was sharing with the man in the black jacket and pants, his crimson shirt showing through the opened portion of the coat.

"But, but, but..." Serena blubbered, now beginning to cry.

_Good grief... not another one..._ Rob thought, as he looked at Serena. "Please... Don't..." he began.

He was cut off as Serena suddenly went ballistic, showering the area in her tears and sobs. All the girls winced in pain at the sudden noise, and even Rob cringed as his ears began to ring.

"Besides, Serena, don't you have Darien?" Raye asked, trying to calm the hurricane of emotions Serena was venting.

It worked, as she suddenly shut off the water works, and said, "That's right! And we have a date tonight!" she panicked as she took off. "I'll catch you guys later! I've got to get ready for tonight!"

_Great... ANOTHER nutcase._ Rob thought as he watched the blonde-haired heroine run off. "Is she always this crazy?" he asked.

"You have no idea," Raye said, with an odd pitch to her voice, as she looked over to her friends. "Rob, this here is Ami," she said as she indicated the teal-haired girl, "and Lita," and gestured towards the tall brunette.

Rob bowed, and said, "I'm pleased to meet you girls. My name is Rob Beltone."

Both girls curtsied, and shook his outstretched hand.

"Rob is taking some classes over at your computer school, Ami," Raye said, starting to cling to his arm again.

"Oh? I wasn't aware of that. Which class is it?" Ami asked, now intrigued.

Rob let out an internal groan, as he felt portions of his arm popping from the stress. "It's nothing much, really, just Circuit board design, multi-core integration, and artificial intelligence creation" he answered.

Ami's eyes widened. "Those classes? But those are incredibly advanced. Not even I am ready for those!" she replied, showing new found respect for the boy before her.

Rob let out a slight laugh. "Well, those classes are really simple for me, in fact, if you and your friends aren't doing anything later on, perhaps I can show you my little pet project," he said, turning back to Raye. "So, Raye, could you please continue explaining the Shinto religion to me? I'm curious about it now."

Ami and Lita, noticing Raye's slight reddened tone, nodded knowingly and left her at peace with Rob.

"Let's see, where did I leave off..." she began.

* * *

"It's been fun, Raye, but I'm afraid I need to return to my work. I've got quite a lot of business to attend to here in Tokyo," Rob said, as he began to leave the temple, Raye following him.

"But... when will you return?" Raye asked, looking a little sad.

"Don't worry, little one. Like the spring is sure to follow the winter, I, too, shall return," Rob replied, before saying in simpler terms, "Tomorrow, ok?"

Raye hugged him one last time, before leaving to attend to temple work. _That girl... she's nuts... but a sweet kind of insanity._ He thought, _I can see a gentle kindness within her, despite her __somewhat hotheaded demeanor towards her friends._

He turned, and began to walk out, as his phone rang. Quickly picking it up, he answered, "Beltone here." As he listened to the voice, his face paled, until he eventually replied with, "Understood. I'm checking it out now." Without even a look back, Rob ran off, towards an odd direction, opposite the apartment he was staying at.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Updated 04/16/2010

* * *

"Oh, Darien..." Serena sighed, being held close to him, looking out over a bridge across a river. They were in one of the more beautiful districts of their city of Tokyo, a common dating sight. Beautiful, polished buildings lined the streets, as vendors sold all kinds of items, tailored towards couples.

The two leaned close, to share a kiss, when a building behind them suddenly exploded. A dark presence was felt by both people as a familiar mechanical being left the building.

"It's..." Serena began.

"That Dark Mecha from the other night!" Darien finished, as he pulled Serena to a nearby alleyway.

"We're going to need all the help we can get, Serena," Darien told her, as he readied a rose, changing quickly into Tuxedo Mask.

"Right," she replied, as she fumbled with her communicator. "We've got trouble. Get over here, quick!" She shouted, before she shut it off, and pulled out her locket.

"Moon Crystal Power!"

Little did she know that another figure was monitoring her distress call. _So, you have chosen to ignore my warning._ It thought as it stood up, and left the strange, metallic room.

Dark Mecha continued to tear up the area. "I sense a great evil here, but WHERE IS IT?" it thundered, destroying another building.

"Hold it right there, Dark Mecha!" a voice commanded, as Sailor Moon moved into the light.

"I am Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice. In the name of the moon, I shall right wrongs and triumph over evil, and that means you!" she said, getting ready for an attack.

The evil machine merely looked at her. "I have no interest in you, Organic. You were too weak to copy. I'm giving you the offer of a lifetime: don't meddle in my affairs, and I will let you live out your pathetic life," it roared.

"I am here to defend the people of the Earth, be they good or evil!" she exclaimed, as she dove in, intending to kick the machine with her boot.

"Have it your way, organic!" the machine growled, as it held up a simple shield of dark energy, literally throwing Sailor Moon onto the ground.

"Now, where is that evil artifact..." it muttered, moving away from Sailor Moon, and settled down on a small manhole. "Aha! Who knew that such a shady trinket would be hidden in plain sight!" it exclaimed darkly, as it lifted the disc effortlessly above its head.

Suddenly, a rose pierced through the sky, hitting the mech on it's damaged shoulder, causing it to drop the manhole. It turned in a fit of rage, glaring at Tuxedo Mask.

"An interesting trick, organic. Do you do card tricks as well?" it inquired, as it stepped back towards the fallen discus.

"Possibly. But, that doesn't matter now. You have hurt my love, foul being, and you will have to learn the consequences of such an action!" Tuxedo Mask exclaimed, as he jumped down from his perch, intent on attacking the mecha.

The machine then stepped fully onto the manhole. "Fool... You have allowed me to physically touch the object of darkness. With it, I will be able to easily destroy you and those other meatbags from the night before!" It laughed evilly as a dark material climbed from the artifact into the exposed crystal in the machine's chest.

"That crystal... It has to be it's weak point!" Tuxedo Mask said as he readied another rose, and threw it towards the exposed gem.

The rose never found its mark, as it was destroyed by another, dark rose that erupted from the core of the machine.

Tuxedo Mask was surprised. "Wha? It can't be..." he stammered.

Dark Mecha laughed at the pathetic organic. "Yes... I copied your attack when you struck me. That is my power: to turn the abilities of others against them. And, when your meatbag friends show back up, I will copy their powers, one by one, until I have them all. And, then... They will be terminated, like all the others who have stood against me in my goal."

"Wh-what is your goal?" Tuxedo mask asked, starting to lose hope. _If he copies the powers of the other girls, he could be unstoppable..._

"My goal is simple: to fulfill my programming." the machine replied. "By draining the evil intent of all organic beings, I can increase my own power, and bring peace to existence."

"But, why attack us?"

"Simple: you are getting in my way. Only those with evil intent dare stop me. Therefore, you have malicious intentions behind that cape of a 'hero,'" the machine finished, having drained all the energy from the manhole, it turned towards the two heroes.

"And now, you shall be destroyed, your evil shall be mine! Your powers will become my own!" the machine roared, as it began to fire a wave of stronger dark energy towards them.

"Mars Fire... Ignite!" a voice shouted.

Suddenly, a fire erupted between the two groups. The machine roared in frustration, as it turned towards the cause of this, only to see Sailors Mars, Venus, Mercury, and Jupiter standing there.

"Nobody hurts our friends!" Venus stated, "Venus, Crescent Beam..."

"Nobody destroys our city, either!" Mars continued, "Mars Fire bird..."

"Right! And nobody goes about using artifacts to increase their dark powers," Mercury added, "Mercury Freezing bubble..."

"And nobody goes doing any of that without looking for a fight from the Sailor Scouts!" Jupiter finished, "Jupiter thunder..."

"Smash!"

"Strike!"

"Blast!"

"Crash!"

Just as they released all their attacks at once, hurtling the massive energy blast at Dark Mecha, a small dagger suddenly pierced the attack, keeping it from hitting Dark Mecha. The dagger embedded itself in the ground, revealing it to be a strange, flat, triangular blade with a strange circular hilt.

Protector jumped down in front of the girls, now wearing a black cloak, and said, "Do not attack the Dark One directly. It will only use your powers against you. You must find a way to attack it indirectly."

"Yeah, but how can we do such a thing?" Sailor Moon asked, finally returning to the fight.

Protector's emotions were hard to read under the armor, but its voice was clear. "The Dark One has the power to copy the energy frequencies of attacks. That is how it can utilize other people's abilities. In order to counteract this, you will need to focus your attacks into a lens of sorts, disrupting your energy frequencies by masking them in a manner it can't decipher, making it impossible for the Dark One to copy the merged attacks," it said, picking up its sword.

"Riven is one such lens. Focus your attacks upon me. I will land the finishing blow," he finished, holding the blade aloft.

"You want us... to attack you?" Sailor Moon said, somewhat confused. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Do not worry about that, just attack me!" Protector shouted, the blade beginning to glow in a strange manner.

The Scouts wasted no time in focusing all their attacks on Protector. They watched in amazement as the armor absorbed the assault, unscathed. This suit was indeed strong.

The girls were even more amazed when the blade of the sword suddenly exploded in a strange dark fire.

"Now that I have the power necessary... Darkburst!" he shouted, as the energy shifted to the tip, and fired off as one single blob of dark matter.

There was no wound as the attack hit, but the Scouts did feel a strange presence within the large matter of darkness. They felt a sudden chill as the sphere silently exploded on the Dark Mech, opening a black hole. The Machine roared, as the gravity well tore it apart, forcing it to flee from sight.

Protector fell to one knee, the attack draining its own power. It panted heavily, exhausted.

The manhole began to tumble and shake, until it abruptly exploded, scattering a trail of black, shadowy dust. The dust then gathered around Protector, and merged with its body, causing it to scream in great pain and collapse onto the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity, Protector finally reawakened. It saw the Scouts gathered around him, somewhat relieved that he finally came to. After they pelted it with questions on how it felt, Protector stood up, rubbing its head.

"I'm sorry about that... It seems that the artifact reacted to Riven's presence, and entered my body. I remember... something..." Protector said, looking somewhat confused. "An underground cavern, a dead city... a holy sword..." he muttered. "I do not know what it means. It couldn't be the City, could it?"

Mercury looked intrigued. "What is this 'City' you are talking about?" she asked.

Protector looked away. "It's... nothing. Just a dream..." it said, though its voice indicated there was something he was not telling.

"But, is the Dark Mecha destroyed," Sailor Mars asked, looking a little annoyed at the masked person.

Protector shook its head, "No... Only wounded. The Darkburst... has set the Dark One into a state of dimensional flux. It cannot attack us, but we cannot attack it." It looked away from Mars.

"Don't you think that was a little overkill?" Sailor Jupiter asked, indicating the ruined remains of the district. Entire buildings were toppled over.

"The Dark One is powerful. Only incredibly powerful weapons can break it." it replied, still looking away.

When it turned back, Protector took on a more condemning done. "Dark Mecha has the power to copy your powers, and use them against you. As your male companion now knows, I'm sure..." it added, earning a scowl from Tuxedo Mask.

"It seems that the only person whose powers it can't copy are mine. It could be the disruption that Riven creates, but that's not very important right now..." it finished.

"What's important right now is that you are safe from Dark Mecha, which is all that matters. I will warn you one last time: do not meddle in our affairs. The fight is between Dark Mecha and myself," it said, as a small slip of paper fell from the scabbard before Protector vanished.

Mercury grabbed the paper, noting that there was a scrawling of strange letters, and said, "I'll analyze this phrase. It doesn't seem to be of any language I'm familiar with, though." She flipped open her personal computer, and began to scan the paper.

After several minutes, Mercury replied, "I'm afraid that the results are inconclusive. The writing is of no known language. It could be alien, but that seems unlikely. The writing doesn't match Silver Millennium nor Negaverse documented texts. This appears to be a completely new language."

Mars looked at it for a moment, and said, "Do you think that Rob Beltone might know? I mean, he is a genius after all. Who knows, maybe he has some knowledge about this mysterious text."

Venus nodded. "Alright. I've been wanting to meet this Beltone millionaire anyway. What do you say we pay him a visit?"

Sailor Moon nodded, then let out a loud yawn. "Alright, but how about tomorrow? I'm tired..." she complained.

"I'd hate to rain on your parade, but does anyone know where he lives?" Sailor Jupiter asked, prompting an awkward silence.

* * *

In a clearing, an armored figure enters, a rock cropping, settling down upon the desk inside. It looked at the sword, placing it in a case for safekeeping. _Need to protect Riven from any misuse_ it thought as it removed its helm, showing a swath of wild brown hair.

He looked over his face, noticing the tired, worn look, saying, "D'raek, my boy, you can't take much more of this. The Holy Blade must be found, at all costs." _Why did he need to find the blade?_

He looked down at his left hand, the one that always held Riven. Dark energy now bubbled in it, despite not having the cursed sword.

"I have been given back my Dark Powers..." he said. _Where did I get that idea? I never possessed dark power outside of holding Riven!_

He looked back, confused. _Why were the memories of D'ni coming back? Why on this world? Earth... it was the place... but why did he need to return?_

"The puzzle is not yet complete. Pieces are missing still. But, what are the pieces..." _Balance is the key. That is what he was always taught. For every left there is a right, for every right there is a wrong, for every good there is an evil, for every light there is a dark._

The figure paused a moment. "Light..." he muttered. "That's it. In order to balance out darkness, light is needed. But where can I find light strong enough to balance Riven's accursed darkness..."

He sighed as he laid back in his bed, deactivating the armor with the press of a strange watchlike device on his left hand.

_That doesn't matter right now. Sleep... I need to get it, I can worry about this problem tomorrow..._


	4. Chapter 4

Rob was awakened to the noise of his alarm ringing. _Great, I overslept._ He thought as he got out of his bed.

The room he was in was simply furnished with wood, of a mahogany color. Much of the room was still dark, because of the lack of light. The light was incredibly dim, causing few people to be able to see in it.

Rob quickly put on his signature clothing, and quickly left.

The room changed to metal, showing a small corridor. After walking down this hallway, Rob emerged outside.

He looked around, making sure nobody was nearby, and exited the ship, as it cloaked itself as a large rock. He smiled, and set off, enjoying the gentle forest scenery.

* * *

"So, he promised he would return? Do you know when?" Lita asked Raye, as the latter looked at the former, slight frustration in her eyes.

"No, I don't know. All he said was that he would return," she growled, trying to keep her mind off the time.

Both girls were in casual clothes, Raye in another red top, a little flashier than her previous one, Lita in a casual green shirt. Both girls wore jeans, a little shorter, as it was such nice warm weather.

Serena sat across from them, jumping like crazy, in a small gown. "Come on! Why won't he get here! I'm hungry!" she grumbled impatiently.

Ami was wearing a turquoise top with matching shorts. "Indeed. I wonder where he has gone off to." she muttered.

Raye turned to the girls. "Just remember, he's mine!" she said with a threatening tone to her voice.

Mina shrugged. "We'll see about that," she replied. She was wearing a yellow tank top, Artemis curled up in her lap.

"Still, I wonder what's keeping him..." Lita wondered. "I'd really like to have some time with him myself," she blushed.

This, of course, sparked an argument between the girls, and, not five minutes later, they were all exchanging blows, arguing who was going to have the first round with Rob. They were so intent on their fighting that they didn't notice the man they were fighting over silently approach them, until he finally spoke,

"Is there something wrong here?" his face had no trace of joy in it. He seemed serious, stern now.

The girls quit their fighting, a bundled mass of estrogen and fury. Rob sighed as he gently extracted Raye first from the pile. "Perhaps you can explain what is going on." he commented, looking her straight in the eyes.

Those eyes... they were hard, like diamonds. Nothing could withstand their piercing gaze. Yet, Raye noted, there was a slight sadness to them, almost borderline kindness. She felt at ease, like she could trust those eyes, though they also made her a little fearful. They spoke of great power, but also of great restraint.

"Yeah, well, we were in kind of a fight over who would get to be with you first today," she explained, noting the strange color flashing in his eyes now.

"Well, if that's the case, how about I spend a day of the week with each of you, huh?" he said, formulating a quick list.

"Mondays, I'll spend my time primarily with Serena.

"Tuesdays, I'll be with Ami...

"Wednesdays, I'll keep as a day to myself.

"Thursdays, I'll spend the day with Lita.

"Fridays, I'll be with, erm, what's your name?" he asked the other blonde headed girl.

"Mina... Rob, right?" Mina asked, blushing slightly at the attention.

Rob nodded, "Right. And, Saturdays, I'll spend with Raye here. After all, she seems the most sane of the group. Besides, she was the first I actually spent time with," he quickly added, noting their rather annoyed faces.

"That's not fair! Today is Saturday!" Serena objected, annoyed.

Rob gave her a stony glance. His face seemed to have a noble air about it. It was frustratingly familiar to Raye. She just couldn't put her finger on it. _I've seen his face somewhere before..._ she thought, as Rob turned to her, noticing her stare.

He looked down, and said, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize that I was wearing my shirt backwards." He reddened to the same shade as his shirt, and quickly ducked off to the side, to fix the problem.

Raye turned to the others, who were now glaring at her. "What? It was HIS decision." she defended.

* * *

Rob silently moved into a nearby restroom, and began to turn his shirt around. He looked down at his left hand. The dark matter had vanished. But he still had his KI on!

Letting out a quick gasp, Rob hastily removed the watch-like device and stored it in his pocket. _Don't want the girls seeing that, either._ He thought as he buckled everything back together, washing his hands before he left.

* * *

"Ok, now that I have that problem fixed, shall we get ready?" Rob asked, as he emerged from the room.

"First, we have a simple question to ask you, Rob. We recently found this slip of paper, and we're trying to decipher its meaning. I know you, what with your status, probably have quite a few connections around the world. Do you think you could translate it for us?" Mina asked, showing the small slip.

Rob frowned. "Well, languages aren't really my area of expertise, but I will try," he replied, taking the slip from Mina, watching her blush slightly as their hands brushed. He maintained his stony composure as he looked at the paper.

His frown deepened, as his face paled. "This... Where did you find this?" he asked, sounding hostile.

"Er, well..." Mina began, as she was cut off by Ami.

"We found it in a book, and thought it might be something of interest." she explained, hoping the facade would satisfy the boy.

Rob nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. "Tell you what, I'll meet you girls here this evening, and I'll have it translated for you, alright?" he said, as he pocketed the slip, and walked off.

As soon as he vanished, Mina slapped Raye across the back. "Why didn't you ask him for a phone number? It IS your day, remember?"

Raye shrugged, rubbing the slapped area, "I guess cat got my tongue, so to speak."

Artemis stretched from where he had slept. The white feline groaned. "Who ever came up with that figure of speech," he muttered as he rolled back over.

* * *

"Have you found out what else was in that sealed room?" Rob asked on his phone, as he walked down the streets of Tokyo, towards a dark alleyway.

"Nothing major, but we did find several inconsistencies in the records," a voice replied, "we're trying to fill in the gaps with what little information we currently have. Whatever it was, it was obvious that the D'ni did not want to remember what happened."

"Indeed. I wonder about something... Suppose this Book is part of a cover-up, an attempt to keep a dangerous artifact hidden away? Suppose that they had created a deadly experiment in the Art, and did not want to have this same incident happen again?" Rob replied.

"That is possible, considering that the laws regarding Descriptive Books became far stricter shortly after these inconsistent records started appearing."

"There is just one thing that I'm wondering about. This Sailor Moon that protects Tokyo, I wonder..."

"What about her, Rob?"

"Well, Dr. Watson, I have heard rumors that she was once part of a long-gone kingdom of the Moon. I wonder if that kingdom, and the Book are somehow related..."

"I'm not too sure, Rob. Remember, you can't trust a rumor. But, if you would like, you can bring them here, to the Cavern, to help us investigate. So, how goes your mission?" The last question was added as an abrupt change of subject

"Not too well, I'm afraid. The Sailor Scouts are still getting in the way of the machine."

"That's not good. Have you tried steering them away?"

"Multiple times. Unfortunately, they won't take no for an answer."

"Rob, you know they cannot get involved. The Dark Machine is too dangerous!"

"Tell me about it. I've been fighting it for centuries. I'll try discouraging them again. Until next time, Shorah."

"Just be careful. You're one of the best translators we have. Not to mention our most prestigious supporter."

Rob ended the call, finally in the safety of the shadows of the alleyway. A figure shimmered into the air, stepping from the shadows. A woman, black hair streaming behind her, wearing strange clothing, approached Rob.

"D'raekmus... You know you cannot fight the Dark One on your own. You need these girls' help." she said, sounding sage-like.

Rob held his head in his hands, bowed in a look of frustration. "I cannot involve such innocent people, Yeesha. You know what would happen. I cannot condemn these girls to die a most painful death in the hands of the most dangerous monster to ever exist." he replied.

Yeesha sighed, sounding rather put-off. "That's true, but how many more Ages must suffer, because one is unwilling to take risks?" she asked, sounding somewhat angrier. "You know the price, yet you are unwilling to change your stance! What kind of D'ni are you?" she demanded, now furious.

Suddenly, her voice changed, marked with kindness and a gentle tone surrounding it. "D'raekmus, you cannot bear this burden alone. I have tried to hold lesser tasks, and in each, I have had to look towards the help of strangers. You cannot bear this alone.

Rob sighed, beaten. "I suppose you're right, Yeesha... I have been letting my own reluctance to involve others blind me. I should involve them more now. But something still bothers me about them..."

Yeesha raised an eyebrow. "And that would be..."

"Well, they're young girls, with their own lives ahead of them. What am I? An old, immortal D'ni, living way out of his lifetime. I should be the only one dying."

Yeesha shook her head sadly. "D'raek, you still have learned nothing. The true meaning of sacrifice, the need to have innocent blood shed for the greater good. Don't you understand? If these girls don't die fighting the Dark One, they will be destroyed when the machine absorbs all darkness and obliterates the Great Tree."

Rob turned around, obviously stricken. "Your words speak true, Yeesha. The next time I fight the Dark One, I will allow them to fight with me. Perhaps it is for the better... They have powers that could help us."

Yeesha nodded, then said, "And?"

Rob looked puzzled, then said, hesitantly, "Well, this world is also theirs, so they have a stake in the matter."

Yeesha smiled. "Good, you have done well, D'raekmus, or do you go by Rob now? You seem to want to hide your heritage, after all. It's nothing to be ashamed of, being a D'ni."

Rob, snickered slightly. "I know, teacher, but I have my own reasons. Besides, D'raekmus seems a little to exotic for an American aristocrat.

Yeesha nodded, fading back into the shadows. "Do not forget who you truly are... D'raekmus." her voice echoed, before finally fading into nothing.

Rob sighed, as he looked once more at the ragged manuscript, looking intently at the words. _Now, to fulfill my promise.._

_* * *_

When Rob returned to the temple, he found all the girls waiting there, as well as a strange man. He stood roughly the same height, perhaps a little shorter, had black hair, and the look of a warrior. Still, even Rob could sense a slight air of nobility concealed within this boy, though he wore simple brown pants and a black tee.

Judging by the way that Serena was hanging onto him, Rob guessed this must be the Darien that she mentioned the other day. He didn't blame her judgment. Darien was, from his neutral, unbiased view, a handsome guy. Serena didn't make a bad choice.

Rob walked up and extended his hand. "Darien, I presume?" he asked, showing courtesy towards the newcomer.

Darien nodded, and shook Rob's hand. "That's right. So, you're Rob Beltone." he did a quick scan of the boy, before replying, "You really don't seem like a great American millionaire."

Rob shrugged, and retorted, "Well, I'm a frequent traveler, and rarely have the time for fancy activities, such as dinner parties or social events."

Darien was just about to ask where he traveled, when Raye suddenly interjected, "Hey, Rob. Have you translated that sheet yet?"

Rob looked towards the girl, and nodded. "Indeed, but I have a fair bit of history to tell you, first, so I hope you're comfortable.

Everyone sat on the grass, as Rob pulled out an old, dusty book. "I have been cross-referencing the phrase all day, and I have ascertained that the language is none other than D'ni." he explained.

"D'ni? I have never heard of such a language. Is it new?" Ami asked, mildly curious as to this civilization that never appeared in any history. She had read quite a few, after all.

Rob shook his head, his stony gaze becoming even harder. "No, in fact, the D'ni are old, spanning back ten thousand years."

Serena and Luna exchanged glances. This made the D'ni older than even the Silver Alliance. "So, why are they not mentioned today?" the blonde asked.

Rob looked with a slight frown. "First of all, the D'ni kept to themselves, living within a Cavern hidden deep below the Earth's surface. Here, they remained, secluded from the evils of the world.

Ami started slightly. _That's why there was no mention of this language, nor of its civilization. They never had contact with the people of Earth, nor of the Silver Alliance. It made perfect sense!_ "So, how did they survive? I mean, you can't just live in a cave," she asked, trying to imagine monstrous beings, blind and living off of rocks.

Rob smiled, and explained, "No, you can't. However, they possessed a power far greater than anything the world has ever seen. They could create bridges to other worlds, alternate realities called Ages, through the special writing of books." He opened the book in his lap, showing a small, crude drawing of a person standing, looking into a book, then the next page showed the person standing on an island, an arrow going from the book to the person on the island.

"This power, which they called the Art, allowed them to exist without contact of the surface. Instead of exploring their own world, they would create a book linking to an Age with the resources necessary. Of course, they could also use that power to create a way to return to their home Age," he added, as he turned the page.

"There were two main types of books: Descriptive Books and Linking Books. Descriptive Books would describe an Age, right down to the detail. Island size, soil composition, water hardness, you name it. When used, these Books would be the first to establish a connection to an Age. These were the more sacred and protected of the Books, as when a Descriptive Book is destroyed, so is the delicate link to that world."

"Linking Books, on the other hand, were far less valuable. They simply described a place within an Age, and linked that person straight there. However, not only were they lighter, the D'ni were also able to construct numerous Linking Books for one Descriptive Book."

His face darkened slightly. "However, there were limitations. For example, a Linking Book had to be written at the place it was describing, otherwise it would not work. Descriptive Books could link you to one Age only, with one Book per Age Even if two Books were written the exact same way, they would each Link to different Ages."

Mina pondered this new information, then asked, "What happened to them?" She was curious. Perhaps she would one day ask a D'ni to write a small Age for her, where she could relax, away from her meatball-brained leader.

Rob's face lowered slightly. Obviously, what he was about to tell was not good. "They died. Their own hatred and efficiency destroyed them almost three hundred years ago. For ten thousand years D'ni stood. In ten days, it died, along with all its secrets," he brooded.

Raye looked over in shock. What kind of evil could these people concoct that could wipe out themselves so quickly?

However, Rob's face quickly changed. "But there is still hope. Even as we speak, the Cavern is aglow with torches. Explorers are entering. Some wish to learn more, some come for the scenery of the city, while others follow the teachings of Yeesha," his voice had lowered at the mention of Yeesha, like he had a great respect for the person.

"She guides explorers through the Cavern, helping them realize why the D'ni fell. And, it seems, that she has left an invitation for you," he finished.

Ami looked at Rob. "You mean that..." she began, as he finished her sentence.

"Some D'ni are still alive? Of course! Yeesha is one of the few left in this Age." Rob replied, waving the small slip of paper.

"She has also instructed that I, as a member of the D'ni Restoration Council, escort you to D'ni. There, she will guide you to the Council's leader, Dr. Watson. He will be able to explain more fully why she has chosen you," he finished.

Darien shifted slightly, "That's nice and all that, but where is this Cavern?"

Rob smiled, and replied, "In New Mexico, in the U.S.A."

Serena looked up, "I presume that this Yeesha has paid for our trip out there?"

Rob shrugged, "In a way. Now, before I can give anymore details, You girls should return home, and get ready. The trip will be long. If your parents ask where you're going, give them these," he handed each person a small envelope, bearing a strange seal on the back. It was a strange marking, some type of arch. It was a tall trapezoid, with a cut down the middle.

"While you carry those, you are on official DRC business. You will be compensated for your time, of course," he explained, as he began to depart. "I will meet you here at six-thirty, next Saturday evening," he called as he left.

Serena looked down at the strange letter. Something about all this felt familiar. But she didn't think on it for long. Her main problem was going to be convincing her parents to let her go. Certainly, they would not approve.

Raye looked on after Rob left. Something was familiar about him, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Was it girlish fanaticism? Or was it something deeper... connected to her past life?

She sighed as she turned around, walking into the deeper section of the temple. _How am I going to keep Grandpa under control while I'm gone?_


	5. Chapter 5

I would like to take the time to thank you, the readers, for taking the time to read it. If you have read this far, I owe you a cookie or other favor. I'll even review your fics if you ask.

* * *

"But, Papa..." Serena whined, as her father threw the letter down, showing obvious disapproval.

"But nothing, Serena. I don't care if you're going on a field trip to the land of daisies. This trip is too suspicious," he replied.

"My friends are going as well. Besides, we're being chaperoned by a very reliable man," the blonde teen replied, indicating the name on the end of the letter.

Her father merely glared at the name. "I don't care. I've never met this 'Rob Beltone'. Besides, he's probably some perverted American, trying to spirit away girls such as yourselves for his own personal pleasure," the man replied, crumpling up the paper and tossing it into the wastebasket.

Sammy looked for a moment at the paper, before returning to his video game, the latest Sailor V game on the market.

Serena began to leave the room, on the verge of tears. She needed to support her friends, no matter what. She felt compelled to go with them, if only to provide moral support. Just then, the doorbell ring. Serena didn't think much of it until she heard her father say, "Good afternoon, Mr. Beltone. I presume you're here for the interview? I'll be ready in a few minutes. Feel free to wait in the foyer."

Shocked at the name, Serena quickly hid herself in the closet, holding the door open enough to listen in on the conversation.

* * *

The first thing Rob noticed was that the room was very green. The carpet was a deep emerald, blending with the teal-colored walls, fading into green plants dotting the room. He noted that a kid, sandy haired, was sitting in front of a wooden entertainment system, playing a game.

Rob couldn't help but smile slightly, as he watched the kid constantly die at one point in the game. He stood there for a few minutes, watching the poor child repeatedly attempt, and fail.

Finally unable to hold back, Rob walked over, and knelled down, asking, "May I try?" in as curious a tone as he could muster.

The kid shrugged, "Sure." and handed him the controller. Rob took the rectangular controller, and began to play the same level. In one smooth motion, he cleared not only the area he was stuck but also the rest of the game, ending it with some very unorthodox moves.

He turned back to the kid, and said, "Thanks." before going to wait. The boy's jaw was dropped. "How did you do that? I've been trying to get past that for ages. I never even thought of trying that flying somersault kick on the mine to make the gap!"

Rob smiled slightly, and simply replied, "Sometimes, you just need an outsider's view to clear an obstacle."

"My name's Sammy. What's yours?" Sammy asked, holding admiration for the Beltone millionaire.

Rob nodded, and replied, "I'm pleased to meet you, Sammy, I am Rob Beltone. I have an interview with your dad today. Apparently, Beltone Enterprises has garnered a bit of attention in popular culture."

* * *

Mr. Tsukino reentered the parlor, to find his son sitting there, talking in-depth with his interviewee.

"...And that is how I was able to create the more efficient superconductor, needed for powerful processors also of my own design," Rob finished, as he turned to the patriarch.

"Ah, glad to see that you're ready. I've had the pleasure of meeting your son here," he said, indicating Sammy, who was now back playing the Sailor V game.

Mr. Tsukino nodded, and apologized, "I hope he hasn't said anything too out of line."

Rob smiled again, and shrugged, "Bah, just something about someone thinking that I'm a pervert, just because I'm an American. I'd just like to say that I have no such gruesome intentions. Besides, I derive no pleasure from taking advantage of another person."

If there was a brighter shade of red than the color Mr. Tsukino's face became then, Rob doubted it existed. "I... I'm sorry about that... It's just that..." the man stammered, embarrassed.

"Your daughter gave you a letter supposedly written from me? Yes, I wrote it," Rob finished, looking the older man straight in the eye now, standing up.

"I am offering your daughter a singular opportunity. She, with all her friends, will be helping the D'ni Restoration Council uncover some important archaeological clues. Very few are privileged enough to work alongside us, let alone people of their ages. They have great potential, and they will be well compensated," Rob said, before pulling out a small check.

"Consider it a down payment. Let's say, oh, five hundred thousand American dollars?" he asked casually, scribbling on the check. "That should hopefully be enough to compensate for the time she will be away from here."

"Five... hundred... thousand?" the other man sputtered. That was more than he made in a year. He could use that to fix up their home. He wouldn't have to work so hard to make ends meet. He could spend more time with the family, instead of having to constantly toil to support them.

"I'll... take it." he finally said, accepting the outstretched check.

Rob nodded, then looked over at the closet. He gave off a small wink, almost as if to say, "I've got your back, Serena!"

Serena let out a small gasp. How did he know she hid in here? Not even her father knew of this little holdout.

"So, Mr. Tsukino, I believe we have an interview?" Rob asked, turning his attention back to the matter at hand.

That seemed to snap the trance, and Serena's father replied, "Oh, right! Now, first question..."

* * *

Rob was beginning to leave the house, when Serena approached him. "Th... Thank you..." she said, giving him a small hug.

Caught by surprise, Rob shuddered. "You're welcome..." he managed to reply. "Remember, when you're my friend, I've always got you covered, no matter what."

"But... how did you know..." she began, as Rob finished, "where you lived? Let's just say that I have certain... sources."

He grabbed a hat off the hallway rack, a strange black fedora decorated with a single maroon ribbon. This caused Serena to note something.

"You seem to like black and red," she observed.

Rob nodded, surprised that she noticed. "Why, yes. My favorite colors you might say," he replied.

Serena's smile began to spread, her face darkening. "I've noticed that Raye has the same tastes. Perhaps you should see about talking with her. She's a nice enough girl, if you can get past her hot-headed, stubborn exterior," she mentioned, as she turned away and left.

Rob moved out the door. "Hmm... a nice girl, huh? Then, maybe I will follow this one bit of advice. Thank you, Serena..." he muttered as he walked down the vacant street, his black jacket gleaming oddly in the sunlight, like it was made out of something more than simple fabric.

* * *

Mina was throwing things into a large suitcase like crazy. Her parents were never really around, so it wasn't like they were going to miss her. She began to scour her room, various Sailor V posters lining it. At one point, she nearly threw Artemis in with all the fancy dresses and other materials she was packing.

"Hey, watch it, Mina! You've nearly packed me three times already!" the white cat growled, as he settled back down, hopefully on something she wasn't about to put in.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Artemis," the blonde apologized, "But I'm a little nervous. I don't even know how long I'll be gone."

Artemis shrugged, and, stretching, replied, "Rob did mention that he was going to give everyone compensation for their time, so maybe you can buy something with the money?"

Mina nodded, and, stroking the feline, agreed, "Maybe I can buy you that pink ribbon I've always wanted to put on you."

_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea..._ the cat thought as he enjoyed the attention, but not the idea of wearing a ribbon. _Really? Pink. Is Mina intentionally trying to humiliate me?_

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think on this, as he was thrown once again into the suitcase, apparently sitting atop one of the girl's favorite dresses.

* * *

"Ok, a house sitter is arranged, plants are watered. Everything is neat and organized," Lita ran through a mental checklist. She made one last sweep of her apartment, confirming that everything was neat and organized, just how she liked it.

"Don't worry about a thing, Lita!" a brown-haired girl replied, with a distinct Brooklyn accent. "We're both friends with Serena. She can vouch for the both of us!"

Lita couldn't help but smile. Such a cheery attitude Molly had, despite everything. "Thanks, Molly. Hopefully, I won't be gone too long," the tall schoolgirl replied, and finished packing a small suitcase. She only needed a few clothes, anyway.

"Good luck on your trip, and send Serena my regards!" Molly shouted as her friend left.

* * *

Ami sighed as she packed. Like Lita, she didn't have much to pack. The less baggage the less there was that needed to be carried.

She had a hard time concentrating all of a sudden. Something felt... wrong. It wasn't the trip. No, the trip was perfectly fine. But, it felt like there was some greater plan going on.

The teal-haired genius continued to fold clothes, toiletries, and other essentials into her small leather suitcase. Why did this Rob Beltone trouble her... There was something... secretive about him, like he was hiding parts of the truth... or he was reluctant to reveal it to them.

Finishing the last of her packing, Ami sat down on the bed. She checked her watch. _Still four hours..._ she thought, as she began to subconsciously write out a formula on paper. She was nervous. The D'ni... the name sounded familiar... but where...

Suddenly breaking from her concentration, she pulled out a small diskette from her drawer. While not as big of a gaming buff as Serena, Ami did have one game she loved to play. The puzzles were challenging, the perspective was surreal, and the storyline was enthralling. Besides, the game never failed to help her relax.

She opened the disk tray, and popped in _Myst_.

* * *

Raye sat down on her simple sleeping mat, her suitcase untouched from where she had opened it the week before. She stared at it, lost in thought.

By all means, she should be excited, yet something felt... wrong. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't will herself to pack.

Not that there was much to pack, anyway. She possessed very little in terms of clothing. Besides the shrine maiden outfit, she only possessed black pants and red shirts.

Come to think of it...

Raye shook her head. No, It was too strange to be a coincidence. Why did Rob have a fascination of the same colors she did? What meaning did they hold for him?

She let out a small growl in frustration, unable to clear her mind. All of a sudden, her vision went black.

Raye was now standing in a strange place. The buildings possessed a strange beauty, though they were made of stone. She saw the lake glow orange, giving the place a strange look of an inverted noon.

She looked up, but could not see the top, yet she knew, this was someplace underground.

Raye was about to explore this area when a voice suddenly called to her. Turning, she had a strange feeling this had happened before.

Standing there, five people stood, Three men and two women. She couldn't make out too much detail, as they were concealed in shadows.

The middle one, a man, spoke in a powerful, authoritative tone, "Raye Hino, princess of the planet Mars, you have been given a dangerous task."

Raye flinched. How did these people know her name?

The second, to the left of the first spoke, a strange, feminine voice, possessing compassion, yet undertones of a certain ruthless nature, "You have been chosen to find the Five Lords of D'ni. We each possess a power that can assist you and your friends in fighting the Dark One."

The shrine maiden now bowed, subconsciously. _Five Lords..._

A third spoke, to the right of the first. His voice possessed a strange, powerful tone to it, yet there was still a hidden kindness, "However, over time, our powers have become dormant. Much like you, we were reborn in the present time. You must find the ones with our souls. One is hidden here in the City. One concealed within a dangerous cave."

The woman to the right of the third spoke now, her voice speaking of humility and sorrow, yet a poisonous edge to it, "One is hidden within an Age you have already visited, long ago."

The last one spoke. His voice was neutral, almost monotone. Yet Raye feared this one the most. Every now and then, she could catch a slight inflection that seemed to indicate he was the most dangerous of them all. "One you have already seen, yet has not awakened, and one dwells within an Age yet to be visited."

The first spoke again, "Once you have found the souls, seek out our signs: Stone, Nature, Plasma, Mechanics."

Raye finally found her voice, "What is the final sign? There's five of you, yet only four signs."

The second spoke, "That is for you to discover. We fear the power this final symbol bears, and we dare not speak of it..."

The third finished, "Not yet, at least."

Raye nodded, understanding what she had to do, though she had no idea where to begin.

The fourth answered her unasked question, "You must first enter the City of D'ni. Only then can we divulge greater information. I will warn you now, the way will not be easy. You must learn to look beyond appearances, and see the true nature hidden beneath."

The fifth spoke, the scene fading from her own vision with each word, "Peace to you, waker of the Lords. We will watch over you, and guide you. Do not be afraid, Young Fire."

Just as abruptly the image struck her, it vanished. She was back in her room, panting heavily on the floor.

_Five Lords... Stone, Nature, Plasma, Mechanics, and one too powerful to be mentioned._ She took a quick drink of water. _These images don't happen without a reason._

But, she finally found that she now had the motive to pack. In five minutes, she was ready, everything packed. Raye quickly checked the time. _Three hours to go.. _She thought as she turned around, _Just enough time to commune with the Sacred Fire. Why am I receiving this image?_

_* * *_

_ Nothing... The fire told me nothing. _The Miko thought as she began to pull her luggage to the door. This greatly distressed Raye. If the fire had no knowledge about this vision, then who would?

She paused a moment. _The City of D'ni... Perhaps this Dr. Watson will know. He's the head of the restoration council, after all... so, perhaps he will have some knowledge about this._

Raye quickly snapped to the present. She needed one last thing. Quickly ducking back into her bedroom, she grabbed a small acoustic guitar off of her shelf. She needed something to seriously calm her mind right now.

Finally, Raye settled down on the steps of the temple, and began to idly strum the instrument. The notes sounded rich and baritone, relaxing her. Music had a calming nature, that is one thing she had learned early on, and boy did it soothe the soul. Suddenly, the vision felt like it was of little concern at the present time. There was no rush... the Five Lords could wait... whoever they were.

The Miko then began to play one of the simpler melodies she had learned over the years, eyes closed to focus on the music. The rich tones of the guitar added a little zest to the music she had written. It was intended to help calm the nerves, and invigorate the listener, yet it held something... more for herself.

She was abruptly brought back to reality by a strange noise. No, it wasn't noise... it was obviously an instrument... a saxophone and oboe mixed... The result was a rich and mellow tone. The strange music intertwined with her own, seemingly forming a duet with her guitar. Raye opened her eyes, and noticed a man in a black jacket, maroon shirt, and black pants sitting there, black fedora with a burgundy ribbon sitting to one side, playing a strange instrument.

The instrument was odd. The mouthpiece was curved, like an oboe, but it connected to the top of the instrument instead of the side. A shaft long enough to hold both hands made up the body, adorned with eight holes, much like a recorder or flute, which bottomed into a strange bell at the base. It was medium, easily held with two hands and still able to move. The device was also held at a 45 degree angle to the body, with the base pointing to the right of the body.

Raye had now stopped playing, and was engrossed in the music. Finally, Rob stopped playing, and acknowledged her. "Sorry... your playing kind of made me wish to join along," he apologized, placing the strange musical object to his right, allowing his partner to see it closely. It seemed to be made out of a type of metal, or stone, and very well made at that.

"It's a D'ni instrument called a maral-obe," he explained, finally moving the object and allowing Raye to hold it.

The maral-obe felt heavy in her hands, much heavier than it looked. Definitely stone. She turned the object over several times, noting that, though it was made with rock, it had the polish of smooth glass, and the grain was like wood.

Raye suddenly felt odd. _This feels so familiar... but from where? Or when?_ She wondered, as the feeling of deja vu crept upon her again.

"It's beautiful..." she finally managed to say, giving Rob the musical instrument back.

Gently accepting the precious item, he replied, "Thanks. You're is pretty nice, as well, though, I must admit, I don't really play the guitar that much. In fact, the maral-obe is the only instrument I can really play." Rob snickered for a moment, then said, "You should hear me on the piano. I can bring down the house, literally."

Laughing a bit at his intended joke, Raye asked, "But what was that song you were playing. It sounded so sad."

Rob nodded, and replied, "Yes, it did. It's a piece of old D'ni music we had managed to find. It was apparently written by a lover, mourning the loss of his loved one. Legends state that the lover sealed himself away, awaiting the rebirth of his love." he laughed, "It's only a D'ni legend, though. I doubt anyone sealed for any long period of time could survive without some form of sustenance."

Raye nodded, then looked away. Why did the song trouble her? She had only heard it today, didn't she?

"Is that all you're packing?" Rob inquired, looking at the small carry-on laying next to her.

"Yeah. I don't really have that much to pack," she replied, looking over to his slightly frowning face.

"I'll have to correct that... before we go on the second leg," he said, letting out a slight wink.

Raye smiled back at his friendly action, and said, now curious, "How many legs are on this trip, anyway?"

As if knowing she would ask, Rob pulled out a sheet of paper. "Unfortunately, due to certain... complications, we cannot simply Link to D'ni as I had planned. Instead, we must take the long route." He indicated a poorly-drawn Japan.

"First, we fly from Tokyo International Airport, to the Los Angeles International Airport. There, we will connect with another flight, and continue to Carlsbad, New Mexico. From there, we will rent a van, and, after supplying ourselves properly, go to the property belonging to Jeff Zandi. He owns the land above D'ni."

He flipped the page over, showing a detailed drawing of a corkscrew tunnel, leading downwards from a volcano. "From there, the journey gets hard. It's a three day trip down to the bottom, and three more to enter the city proper." He looked up at the astonished look on the girl's face. "It will take about a week from today to get from here, to the city of D'ni. That's assuming, of course, we don't encounter any roadblocks on the way." Rob then let out a small smile. "I hope you like Spam," he joked.

Raye couldn't help but laugh at the idea of being stuck in a cave, eating Spam, exploring an underground city, all at the behest of some strange woman they had never met.

And, yet... something about all this was all too familiar.

* * *

Author's note: Ok, things are beginning to heat up now. Just what connection does Rob Beltone have with Raye? Did they know each other previously? Who or what are the Five Lords? How did they know Raye was the princess of Mars? Perhaps the answers will be explained in the next chapter? Then again, maybe not. That's the mystery that not even I know.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: OK, I'm going to try to take this chapter a little slowly. I mean, this is supposed to be taking roughly a week to travel from Tokyo, Japan, to D'ni.

* * *

Rob sighed as he stood amongst the group. _These girls have way too much..._ he thought as he looked at the sea of luggage trailing behind each girl. Serena and Mina, in particular, brought at least three suitcases each. What kind of girl needs three oversized suitcases? At least Ami and Lita only brought one bag apiece. Darien had a simple sack thrown over his shoulder. Raye also had a small carry-on sitting next to her, the guitar on her lap.

They were sitting at the front steps of Raye's temple. Serena was sitting on one of her massive bags, idly waiting. Mina was continuing to struggle with the clasp on her overstuffed suitcase. He noticed that one of the blonde's luggage was moving erratically, making a muffled noise. Ami was standing, looking ready to leave. Lita was rearranging her bag. Rob noted that she didn't pack very much. Good. There would be less needed to carry. Darien was shifting frequently, impatient to begin. Raye had gone back to strumming her guitar, idly waiting.

They were all wearing color-coordinated shorts and shirts. Sure, the clothes would do for now, but once they got to Descent, they would have to change into something warmer. The caves were bound to be cold. Ah, well, they could worry about that later.

Rob cleared his throat. He himself was wearing another of his signature burgundy turtlenecks, black jeans, and black jacket. He had pulled his matching fedora with crimson ribbon back on his head. "I presume you all are ready to leave now? Family matters arranged? Excuses given? Any other last-minute necessities taken care of?" he ran through the questions like a checklist, as they all nodded that they did.

He smiled. "Good. However, I think we might run into some... problems with your luggage. There is a limit on how many you can have. I suggest we take the time to repack it to where we follow their rules of one suitcase and one carry-on per passenger."

Serena tilted her head, confused. "You mean we're not taking a private jet?" she asked.

Rob shook his head. "Not exactly," he explained. "You see, I am somewhat of a pilot, but my carrier isn't exactly designed to haul very much cargo."_._

Darien grunted. "Well, most of us are good. Of course, two people couldn't pack just one week's worth of supplies," he glared at the mounds that made up Mina's and Serena's luggage. He let out a slight breath. "Of course, I guess some of us didn't read the letter, which said that most of our needed articles would be supplied by Beltone," he said.

Serena gave a little pout, before sticking her tongue at him. Mina just sighed, and sat down on a larger bag, only to have it suddenly shake and emanate muffled screams.

Rob smacked his face, and said, "Don't tell me, you packed your cat?" He reached over, and gently lifted Mina off the luggage. Blushing a bit from his touch, she quickly changed to a concerned tone, "Oh my gosh! I forgot that I packed Artemis in with my clothes!" She reached towards the clasp on the side.

Rob backed away slightly at the quivering box. "Er, you might want to..." he began, before a small explosion of fabric quieted him, covering the area with the girl's laundry.

Rob sighed as he pulled off one of the articles off of his face. Quickly realizing that this was one of the girl's unmentionable garments, he promptly threw it away from himself, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Rob. I guess when I'm nervous I pack everything except the kitchen sink." Mina replied, hustling about repacking the discarded clothing.

Rob merely looked away, and said, "It's ok. I'll help each one of you repack. Besides, like the letter said, I will provide you with the amenities you lack." He then pulled out a small cell phone, and dialed it. He turned away and walked off, leaving the group alone now.

Luna popped out of the bushes, and sat down amongst them. "Do you think we can trust Rob?" Serena asked, stroking the ebony feline delicately.

Luna purred at the attention, and said, "Well, I doubt he's from the Negaverse, and he doesn't seem particularly evil or mean. But still... There's something about him. I don't know how to describe it." She turned to the group. "I don't think we can trust him. He may not be an enemy, but I doubt that he's a friend. We need to keep a close eye on him."

Darien nodded in agreement. "Besides, I feel something... dangerous about him. Raye, you're probably better at gauging evil spirits than the rest of us. What do you have to say about him?"

Raye stopped her playing, and looked closely at Rob. He was out of earshot, but he was still in sight. She watched him for several minutes, before replying, "I sense nothing. Neither good nor evil. Nothing out of the ordinary. But still... There's something... different about him." she turned to Artemis. "Is it possible that he could be like us? Could he be a reincarnation of a Silver Millennium noble?"

Artemis scratched his feline head. "I'm not sure. Queen Serenity did send everyone to the future, so it's possible. However, how can we be sure that he's on our side?" he asked, looking at Luna.

"Well, if he does, I could see if he possesses some kind of symbol. Everyone in the Silver Millennium possessed some kind of sign, but how can we corner him..." the black cat replied.

Raye stood up. "Perhaps I can help? I mean, he's become rather interested in me. I don't see why, though." she blushed. _What am I doing?_

Serena nodded, smiling. "Of course, Raye. Besides, I think Rob has a sweet spot for you," she winked.

Raye grimaced. Just because Rob was a nice guy, it still didn't mean he wasn't a jerk. He was bound to mistreat her at some point. And she would relish proving Serena wrong. Rob was like every other guy, cold, uncaring, and harsh. "Alright Serena. Just out of curiosity, do you think that he and Dark Mecha might be somehow related? I mean, he's too gentle to be the Dark Mecha, but still... I think it's more than mere coincidence that he appeared the morning after Dark Mecha attacked us," she commented.

Ami's eyes widened, "Of course! And I have something of my own to add to that. I have done some, er, research into the D'ni. As it turns out, it was a reference to an old game produced by Cyan Worlds called _Myst_. It was a puzzle-intensive game that focused on a surreal atmosphere. It briefly mentioned the D'ni. I wonder if this is really some wild goose chase."

Serena raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you played video games, Ami!" she exclaimed.

Ami blushed slightly, and turned away. "I play through it whenever I need to relax. It helps me focus on the task at hand. In fact, I've gotten it down so good that I can run through the entire game in about an hour," she said.

"Well, that's quite the achievement, Ami," Rob said from behind her. He had returned from the phone conversation now. "Of course, I know a little... trick to beat it in less than five minutes."

Ami blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Mr. Beltone."

Rob smiled, and said, "Alrighty girls, let's get repacking. I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

They all shook their heads, "No, don't worry!" Lita said, waving the matter aside. "We just finished."

Rob nodded, and said, "I think I'll start with Mina." he said, taking her suitcase. "First of all, we have special cat carriers for your pet. Secondly..."

Luna shook her head. "oh, this could take some time..." she curled up in a sunny spot and began to nap.

* * *

Finally finished with helping each and every person repack, Rob stood up. They had now narrowed down to a mere one oversized suitcase for both Mina and Serena. The rest had small carry-ons.

"Now, if you'll follow me, I have arranged transportation to Tokyo International," Rob said, indicating a dune buggy sitting outside. Much like the rest of him, the buggy was red in color, with black seats. An oversized engine sat at the back. Attached to the bumper was a large trailer, refitted to haul four additional passengers, totaling the seating capacity to eight, including the driver. "The buggy's mine, but the trailer's rented. Please, Don't wreck it too badly.

Darien threw his bag in casually before jumping in, helping Serena up into the trailer. "What gives you the idea we might wreck it?" he asked, slight amusement in his voice.

Rob jumped into the driver's seat, after checking that everyone was in and buckled up. He noticed that Raye had taken the seat next to him. _Odd, that girl is getting attached. I'll have to be careful. I'm here to fulfill a mission, not find love._ He took a glance at her. _Although... she does look like the one from my Second Sight. Could it be possible..._

Rob shook his head. _No, she died in that lifetime. I died then as well. I must simply live in this current life, defending this Age from Dark Mecha_.

He pushed in the clutch, and, starting the engine, shifted into first gear and set off. Raye looked at the transmission, now noticing something. "It's a manual?" she asked, bewildered by the strange setup.

Rob nodded, and explained, "Yes, I prefer manual transmissions because of the greater feel I can get. I'm not a hot-rodder or anything, but I can always squeeze a little more performance from a manual over an automatic."

Raye nodded, and noticed that the transmission went to two different driveshafts, each going to a differential on both axles. "How exactly is this better?" she asked, pointing to the dual driveshafts. "On most cars, I think they use only one.

Rob smiled at her interest. _Ah, so familiar..._ he thought, as he elaborated, "The transmission transfers power from the engine to the differentials, which then regulate how much power each wheel gets. The more driven wheels you have, the more force you can push against the car. So, by keeping an all wheel drive configuration, I can put more power down onto the ground and pull quite the load."

Raye understood... somewhat. She didn't have much mechanical expertise. She had never even been interested in vehicles, yet she was asking this complete stranger about his. Yet, this all felt familiar. _Could I still have some memory locked away about this Rob? He could possibly have been a friend back on the Silver Moon._

They had pulled into the airport by now, and entered the runway. Rob apparently had clearance to drive there. He pulled close to one of the hangars. "Wait here," he told them as he opened the small door.

Serena turned to everyone. "I have a bad feeling about all this. Something's not right. Why would Rob, millionaire or not, have the authority to enter a restricted landing strip?" she asked Ami, who was quickly checking the records of Tokyo International.

"It appears that Rob has a private runway, used by the DRC for transportation of large objects to and from Japan. It hasn't been used in recent years due to lack of funding," the teal-haired girl replied.

Lita was about to say something when the hangar doors opened. There sat a rather derelict G-21 Grumman Goose aircraft. The outside was colored black, with the same maroon trim Rob favored. The plane taxied in front of the buggy, and opened the rear. Rob got out.

"Alright, everyone load your things. I just need to store everything. Personnel will reclaim the trailer. The buggy will simply sit in here until I can fly it back out at some point," he said as he helped them load their belongings.

After that was done, Rob drove the trailer and buggy into the hangar, and closed it on his way out. He opened the door, and said, "All aboard the DRC Transit, _Gray Goose. _Next stop: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)."

Darien entered first, and looked around. The plane wasn't used in quite some time, yet it still had modern amenities. The food was restocked, and everything spoke of new mingled with old. "Eh, are you sure this old jalopy will fly?" he nervously asked.

Rob was already restarting the engine, resulting in slight sputters. "Of course. I've used it quite frequently, actually. Besides, this thing's solid as a rock," he said, patting the dashboard lovingly." He turned the starter again, as the engines continued to refuse to start. "Eh, it's just that the engines are a little hard to start at times," he admitted as the propellers spun with the roar of two large engines starting.

"There we go," he muttered as he checked everyone. Darien and Serena were sitting next to each other, as usual. Mina and Lita were sitting on the other side of them. Ami was next to the two cats. They had let them out of the carriers by now. And Raye was...

Rob had stiffened by now. He looked in the copilot's seat. Yep, there she was, headset on and ready to help. What was that girl doing? She had never flown before. Yet... that didn't bother him. She obviously wanted to be close to him.

"Alright, copilot. Let me walk you through the ropes," he said, startling Raye. She didn't even know why she picked the seat. But, Rob didn't seemed bothered by her choice. Once again, this seemed too familiar. But why?

* * *

"And that is how you maintain a level flight sans autopilot," Rob finished. He looked back at the other guests. They had all fallen asleep. They looked so peaceful. Rob sighed. They were in for a twelve-hour flight. Sure, he could make it wide awake, but Raye would need sleep at some point.

"Raye, why don't you get some sleep. It's going to be a long flight," he suggested, stifling a small yawn himself.

Raye snapped awake. "No, Rob. I'm staying awake with you through the whole flight. I owe it to you as your copilot."

Rob shook his head. This girl didn't take no for an answer. "But, you're not used to this long of a flight. I am. Besides, if both of us fall asleep, what good will it do all of us?" he countered.

Raye grumbled, but relented. "Alright, but wake me up in two hours. Sooner if you start nodding off, ok?" she asked, letting out a small wink before going to sleep herself.

"Right... two hours..." he muttered, and checked his heading.

* * *

BOOM!

Something struck the _Gray Goose_, waking everyone up. Raye looked out the window. The rain had picked up, and was threatening to break into something more violent.

"Wh... What was that noise?" Serena asked, scared.

"I don't know. I'm taking the _Goose_ down." Rob replied, readying the landing procedures.

BOOM! There it was again. Whatever it was, it was seriously pissed off.

The plane pulled out of the clouds, over a dark ocean. The crash came again, as they hit the water, floating on the surface.

Rob cut the engines, and pulled out a toolbox. He threw a simple life jacket on, and said, "The rest of you wait here. It's probably a loose hull plate or something."

As soon as he opened the door, the explosion came again, throwing him out. "Rob!" Raye shouted, diving in after him.

As soon as she hit the water, she realized this was a bad idea. It was cold, very cold. She called for Rob again, only to be met with silence. Suddenly, she had a very ominous feeling as she turned at the ship. A crack of lightning filled the sky, showing a shadowy figure on top of the craft.

"Dark Mecha..." she muttered.

"Ah, so we meet again, cursed bearer of the pure fire!" the machine growled.

"What are you talking about?" she lied.

Dark Mecha merely chuckled. "As if your bluff could work. I've located you and the rest of your precious team. It's a pity I have to kill the pilot as well. Ah well, that's the way life goes."

Raye weakly lifted her Mars wand, and muttered, "M...Mars Power..." before being engulfed in flames, emerging as Sailor Mars.

The corrupt machine laughed haughtily. "You have proven me right! Now I can destroy the Sailor Scouts in one blow!" It then began to punch the bow of the plane, intent on destroying it, when a dark gray arrow pierced the machine. "What is it now?" the machine grumbled, and was shocked at what it saw.

Standing on the water, Protector glared at the robot. "That ship is property of the D'ni Restoration Council. You have no right to destroy it. Begone with you!" with that, Protector seemed to fire a blast of gray energy, which Dark Mecha easily avoided, spinning off of the plane. What surprised the scout was that the energy arced around, and pursued the mech, homing in on it. The machine tried to avoid the blast, but wherever it went, the sphere followed.

After several minutes, the strike hit the machine, causing it to plummet into the ocean. Protector turned to Mars, and said, "Sailor Mars, wielder of the power of flames, I leave you to the task of locating your lost pilot. Goodbye, Young Fire," he said as he vanished into the ocean.

"Hey, wait..." Sailor Mars gasped, looking at the shadow where Protector stood. _Young Fire, that name... that's what one of the Five Lords called me Could Protector be.... no, he can't._ She fought in her mind for a few minutes, before swimming back to the ship, now in her civilian clothes once again. She nearly made it back when she heard a voice. "Help! Help! Somebody throw a line!"

Raye quickly swam towards the voice, finding Rob, in a serious disarray. "Raye!" he called. "I'm glad to see you. But, why did you leave the _Goose?" _His voice now had a hard, stone-like edge to it. That voice did resemble another person's... No, it couldn't be...

"I was concerned when you fell out. What happened?" she asked, concern in her voice. She had now floated half way towards him, still about ten meters from the pilot.

"I lost my balance on the way back. It seemed to simply be engine trouble," he said, as a watchlike device began to beep madly on his left hand. Raye got a good look at it. It appeared to be of stone, with three circles within it. One of the circles was flashing red, and beeping like crazy. Rob quickly hid the device, along with his hand.

"What was that?" Raye demanded, now curious yet annoyed that he was hiding something.

Rob, now realizing that his secret was out, explained, "It's a KI, a D'ni device capable of tracking, communications, and recording. It's just one of our little tools that the DRC recently uncovered." He grimaced slightly, hoping that was sufficient.

Raye continued to look suspiciously at him, before shrugging, and saying, "Well, it's none of my business, but I thought you were hiding something like, say, a powered suit."

Rob frowned. _She's catching on, but I dare not tell the truth. She's not ready to accept it._ "Of course not, why would I have a Maintainer's Suit, especially one modified to utilize light and dark energy." _Damn it! I said too much!_

Raye whipped around, fury in her eyes. "That explains it all! You're not only a bad liar, but you're also Protector, the guardian of Ages." Her eyes widened. _Where did the get that last part?_

Rob suddenly became silent. "I... guess I cannot keep the secret from you anymore," he listlessly answered. "Indeed, I am the Protector... though where you got 'Guardian of Ages', I do not know." He slowly swam towards Raye, and they both bobbed in the mellow seas of the South Pacific.

Raye was silent for some time. She broke the silence with what was on her mind. "You're not trying to deny anything." she simply stated, with a slight wonder. "Why?"

Rob continued to float with the current, drifting towards the _Gray Goose_. "Well, I saw you as Sailor Mars, fighting Dark Mecha. I realized that, sooner or later, you would find out who I truly was. My suspicion was confirmed when you mentioned a mechanical suit. So, I dropped that hint to act kind of like a guide." he explained, now offering Raye the life jacket he had worn. "You'll sink if you're not careful," he warned.

She accepted the jacket warmly, and, after strapping it in, she asked, "Why didn't you just tell me who you were? Wouldn't it have been easier?"

Rob shook his head, his hair now thoroughly soaked and hanging limply on his head. "No, I'm afraid I cannot just tell you my identity. You have to find it on your own. Think of it as a puzzle," he said, before reddening slightly and turning away. "I'm sorry, I guess that, with all the time I spent in D'ni, I've become rather accustomed to convoluted puzzles, with minor hints," he admitted.

Raye looked into his eyes, as they both floated there, surrounded by water, the moonlight casting a bright reflection on the water. And, for a moment, she felt there was... something between them, something ancient yet powerful. Something...

"Hey, Raye! Are you going to rescue Rob or are you just going to sit and gawk there all night?" a chipper voice shouted, as both turned to the _Gray Goose_ to see Serena sitting there, bare feet in the water. She had apparently been watching them, but didn't hear anything they said. She was too far out of earshot for that. She sighed, and turned to Rob. _She's going to pay for ruining this moment_ she furiously thought, her emotions showing plainly to him.

When Rob spoke, he had a gentle tone, "There's something you should know before you go to D'ni, but, for now, take a look," he pointed to a small wave. "See that wave right there?"

Raye nodded. It was a tiny wave from here, barely large enough to be noticed. Meanwhile, Serena had began to chant an annoying love phrase.

"Well, keep an eye on it. If your friend doesn't move, then this night might have been worth it."

Raye looked confused a moment, and was about to ask, when she decided that it would be better to observe this. Questions can wait for another time.

The wave was picking up.

"Raye and Rob..."

Indeed, it seemed to be increasing in speed, becoming larger with each passing second.

"Sitting in a tree.."

Raye's eyes widened. She turned to Rob, who now had a slightly mischievous grin, as he motioned her to keep watching.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-" and SPLASH! The wave crashed into the _Gray Goose_, causing it to pitch violently, spilling a surprised Serena into the water. Rob and Raye then broke into uproarious laughter.

"It's... It's not funny!" Serena wailed, as Darien gently brought her back on board. She shivered as he put his jacket around her, and led her back in. He returned a few minutes later, and shouted, "Hey! If you two are done making out in that water, why don't you two come back in and get us going again."

Rob bristled slightly once Darien left. "Us... making out? The nerve!" he sputtered, but was silently surprised to find Raye silent. She didn't seem quite so repulsed by the idea as he initially thought.

He cleared his throat, and said, "Anyway, I need to talk to you again before we reach D'ni. I have a suspicion that you might... Never mind. I'll tell you when you're ready. Tonight, we need sleep."

Raye looked confused, now back in reality. "Are we going to take off tonight?" she asked.

Rob shook his head. "No, I don't know what Dark Mecha has done to the _Goose_, and I can't see it tonight. Besides, I'm pretty sure we could all use a relaxing night's sleep." he said with a slight yawn.

Raye nodded and began to paddle back to the plane. Rob stopped her. "Oh, and Raye?"

_Here it is! The moment of truth!_ She thought as she turned, trying to conceal her nervous feelings. "Y...yes?" she stuttered.

"Please don't tell anyone else about this. They will find out in good time."

Raye frowned. _So much for romance_ she thought as she nodded. "Of course, it's our secret."

"Good, then let's get back in and get some sleep! I'll race you to the _Goose!_"


End file.
